Taiwan stocks flat

Taiwan stocks ended flat on Wednesday, with gains in defensive sectors such as rubber, department stores and plastics offsetting falls in some of Apple's suppliers on concerns over environmental issues at their China factories. The main TAIEX index fell 0.08 percent or 6.1 points to 7,353.37, after losing 1.36 percent in the previous session.
Shares of Apple's supply chain were pressured by media reports that Chinese environmental organisations had named 27 companies with pollution issues at China facilities. Touch panel maker TPK Holding ended down by the daily limit of 6.9 percent, while notebook casing supplier Catcher was limit-down for a third consecutive session after saying it was ordered to close a China plant due to pollution. The semiconductor sub-index ended flat, showing little reaction after Intel Corp forecast fourth-quarter revenue above Wall Street's expectations. Foreign investors were net sellers on Tuesday, offloading T$2.744 billion.